Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 55

55. 18th. As You Sow, So Shall You Reap (1)

Claire made a call as we headed toward Macy’s in New York.

“Dad, could you put in a good word at Macy’s? Not for me, but for Johnny. All he knows is how to punish, not how to spend. Thanks, heehee.”

Claire’s face was beaming. Although the money was earned with blood, seeing that at least the relationship between this father and daughter had recovered seemed to wash away some of the guilt.

“Is it Henry you spoke with?”

“Yeah. Dad said he’d talk to them about us. He said since you’re a valued guest, they’ll be ready to give you the best treatment.”

The best treatment, huh… I wondered what the best treatment would be like for someone like Henry.

“Claire, please call the department store and ask them to prepare a recorder and tapes.”

“Huh? Why?”

Claire’s eyes widened, and Sun Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin looked at me with expressions that seemed to say, ‘Surely not.’ I was sorry, but I couldn’t betray their expectations.

“It’s about spending money, so I need to learn something to save face with Grandpa. Ask for catalogs too, with notes on the products’ special features. After I organize everything, I’ll have to bring it to the main family.”

A full-store shopping spree ordered by a wealthy man like Henry would be worth imitating, from the service to the product descriptions. I had to copy everything, down to the last detail, and give it to Grandpa and Tae Jae-ho as a gift.

Sun Hae-cheol eventually let out a hollow laugh as he looked at me.

“You relentless fellow. Are you going to squeeze every last drop out of this?”

“If it’s a full-store shopping spree, I have to get my money’s worth, hehe.”

As I chuckled, the car arrived at Macy’s. We smiled as we saw the department store president waiting in front of the entrance.

“Welcome, Director Lawrence! We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Is everything ready?”

“Of course. The catalog will take a little time, but we’ll send it within two or three days. You’re welcome to record as much as you like, haha.”

The department store president, chuckling, gestured to a handsome male employee among those behind him. At the president’s snap and beckoning, the male employee immediately ran to us.

“If you need any snacks or drinks, just tell this friend. Just let us know where you’ll be staying, and we’ll prepare it right away.”

I couldn’t believe it. Just say the word, and they’ll bring snacks? Unlike the hotel party last time, it felt like I had become a recognized rich man.

***

“Welcome, customers.”

“I’d like to see wallets and bags first, for this friend to use.”

As we entered the Bottega Veneta store, the employee who greeted us saw Claire pointing at me and smiled brightly.

“Of course, customers. Brown or deep dark black tones would suit you well… Please come this way.”

The employee, wearing white cotton gloves, placed wallets and bags on the glass display case. Perhaps they had been informed in advance, but even with the recorder running, the employee began the explanation with a smile.

“The wallet you see is a product that reveals Bottega Veneta’s identity. The Intrecciato pattern, woven diagonally, shows the delicacy and meticulousness of Italian artisans…”

It looked like a checkered apple pie to me, but I thought it was an art to explain it like that. I wondered how much effort it took to memorize that. When I got back, I had to make the store employees memorize that line translated into *GQ*-style or *Vogue*-style [referring to the fashion magazines].

In addition, Claire picked out a bunch of items that I could use from Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes, etc., and then said to the employee behind her.

“Excuse me, could I get tonic water with lemon slices and a sandwich?”

“Of course, customer. Would you like to have it here?”

“Yes, please. There’s so much to shop for, hoho.”

The smile never left Claire’s face. Was she happy to spend money like crazy, or was she enjoying playing with me like a living doll?

A female employee pulling a cart appeared in the distance.

“Here is your ordered sandwich and sparkling water, customer.”

The employee put ice from the ice bucket into the cup, filled it with sparkling water, and twisted the straw around before inserting it. Park Tae-jin and I watched with bewildered expressions.

“It’s really different, young master. When you return to the main family, you should suggest it to the chairman.”

“I will, Hyung [term used to address an older brother or male friend].”

We stopped admiring and started our snack time. Thanks to the employee who brought the cart unfolding the folding chair underneath, it was delicious to sit comfortably and eat.

After we finished eating, we wiped our hands with the warm towel that the employee handed us with tongs. After wiping off the moisture with the dry towel that followed, a fluffy feeling spread through my hands.

After the snack time, Claire asked the male employee something and entered a luxurious room. Only one male employee was waiting there, and there were all kinds of sample books piled up next to him.

“What is this place?”

“I’m going to get a suit made.”

“A suit?”

“Yeah. It’s a service provided only to the top 1 percent of Macy’s VVIPs [Very Very Important People]. If you take measurements here, you can order from any brand you want.”

Even though it was a luxury brand made as if it were stamped out in a factory, the VVIP service was different. A tailor taking measurements in a lounge instead of a store.

“That’s amazing.”

“There’s nothing amazing about it. It’s just that expensive, hoho.”

It wasn’t about being expensive.

There were rich people everywhere who had money to burn.

Those rich people usually lead the consumption culture and wield power in their countries, and the same goes for the rich in Korea.

If those rich people become loyal customers of Hae Dong Department Store, more money and power will gather in our family. Considering it as the cost of creating that blueprint, I didn’t regret spending any money today.

As the employee took out a tape measure and approached me to take measurements and began sketching, Claire shouted at the employee.

“Make the back and front panels deep. Make the sleeves generous too. Make the lapel and flap wide… It would be nice to put the V-zone deep. Put the waist in a little more than the original size.”

I blinked, wondering what the difference was, but when I saw the sketch the tailor had finished, my mouth dropped open.

I didn’t know when I heard it, but if my memory was correct, it was a design close to Tom Ford’s Windsor line. Jang Su-yeon showed it to me, saying that Tom Ford himself was proud of the design, saying, ‘No one will be able to imitate it!’

“Can I take that sketch with me?”

Claire blinked as my face suddenly lit up.

“Huh? …Yeah. It’s a gift given to customers as a service. But, how are you going to order it?”

“I like it, but my grandfather is 은근히 [eungeunhi – subtly, secretly] conservative. I think I should pick a different design.”

Outside of Samcheong-dong [a district in Seoul known for its traditional Korean houses and art galleries], my grandfather was like an English gentleman from head to toe. That daring, almost provocative design would make such a grandfather frown, so it was the perfect excuse.

Claire sighed as she heard my words and remembered her meeting with my grandfather.

“Hoo… That’s too bad. It would be nice to make it as it is.”

“It can’t be helped, Miss Lawrence. The chairman is a solemn person in official settings.”

Even Park Tae-jin added, and Sun Hae-cheol nodded.

“It can’t be helped until Johnny establishes himself in the group. We have to do it again, Claire.”

“Okay. Excuse me, give the current sketch to this friend and do it again. Just put the waist in a little.”

I felt a little sorry to see Claire looking sullen, but it couldn’t be helped. You’ll be able to see how great the seeds you sowed are when you harvest them later.

***

A few days later.

After organizing the recordings taken at Macy’s and the items and data sent from there, I called Sun Hae-cheol, Park Tae-jin, and Claire and entered the conference room.

“Is that it?”

“Yes.”

Sun Hae-cheol looked at both of the documents I handed out and let out a hollow laugh.

“This guy… blood doesn’t lie. Geez.”

“I can’t hide that he’s the son of the late president, haha.”

Park Tae-jin also laughed as he looked at the document I had organized…

“I can’t stop you. Johnny, are you really a workaholic? Or… are you trying to be 효도 [hyodo – filial piety]?”

Claire looked at me and sighed lightly, but she was smiling.

“It’s both. Use the $1.6 billion to secure shares in luxury brands. The goal is at least 50 percent. Say you’ll go hands-off if they hand over the right to open stores in Korea and the right to set sales commissions.”

One of the documents I created was data on customer service to be introduced to Hae Dong Department Store, and the other was a luxury fund.

If it were me in my previous life, I wouldn’t have even looked at it because it wasn’t profitable, but I wanted to live a little differently this time. It was also a way to make up for the 효도 [hyodo – filial piety] I couldn’t do in my previous life, so it wasn’t a bad investment.

“Okay. The investment target is good, but if I stop you from being a 효손 [hyoson – filial grandson], what can I do? But…”

Sun Hae-cheol looked at me with a satisfied expression as if he understood my intentions, and then clearly continued the end of his words, which had been a little blurry.

“You wrote that you were going to send the sketch you brought last time to Gucci… is that real?”

“I heard that the designer there is young? I thought it would be easier to negotiate if I gave him inspiration.”

Tom Ford, who emphasizes sexual charm regardless of gender, will recognize the value of the sketch we send. Of course, the investment proposal we send together will not be underestimated either.

Sun Hae-cheol nodded as he heard my words.

“Okay. We’ll do Gucci that way… and we’ll start working on Fendi and Bottega Veneta too. The same goes for other brands. We can buy Hermes and LVMH shares in the market, right?”

“Yes. Start collecting all the shares of Hermes that are on the market. Do LVMH after that.”

Acquiring LVMH, a French national company that is still running towards $100 billion, is politically and economically inefficient. It is more effective to sweep up individual brands instead.

“What are you going to do with the rest? There’s still $3.2 billion left.”

“Let’s put $2 billion in an index fund. $1.2 billion is…”

We decided to invest $300 million in Starbucks, hand over the voting rights, and have Hae Dong Corporation transfer the Korean and Chinese business rights, $300 million in America Online, and $600 million evenly divided into existing portfolios.

If I do this much, I can prepare enough for the upcoming war. It was almost 과분 [gwabun – undeserved] to call it an achievement in three years, but I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

After dealing with the things in front of me, I thought of my hometown. I can’t brag, but Jang Ha-yeon and my grandfather, who are waiting for me in my hometown, were on my mind.

***

Around the time Lee Seong-min was 본격적으로 [bongyeokjeogeuro – in earnest] establishing himself on Wall Street, six men were sitting at the long table in the reception room of Samcheong-dong.

“Is it true?”

“Yes, Chairman. The total profit earned by Hae Dong Corporation is $3 billion. Separately from that, the slush fund you entrusted to Triumph earned a profit of $2 billion.”

Lee Dae-soo, who confirmed the profit, and Go Seung-joo, who reported the settlement results, were both in disbelief. Didn’t Hae Dong Group earn money in one shot that it couldn’t earn even in a few years?

“으하하하 [euhahahaha – Korean laughter sound]! I’ve never seen such a gambling 판 [pan – game/situation] in my life!”

Lee Dae-soo banged on the table and laughed heartily…

“Congratulations, Chairman!”

The three representatives, Lee Myeong-jin, and Go Seung-joo also shouted loudly to Lee Dae-soo and bowed their heads. Didn’t the three-month gamble, betting on the fate of the company, hit the jackpot?

Lee Dae-soo, who had been laughing for a long time, took a breath and said.

“What does the Blue House [Korean equivalent of the White House] say, Chief Go?”

Go Seung-joo, who had been chuckling, composed himself. Even if he stopped laughing, he was becoming too dark to be called the main player who earned trillions of won. Lee Dae-soo and the four others stopped laughing and pricked up their ears, knowing that good news would not come out of his mouth.

“I met with the Chief Economic Secretary, and he said that apart from the taxes paid in the settlement process, we should spend 400 billion won [Korean currency] on purchasing government bonds. He said to entrust the money to Hae Dong Securities for the purchase…”

“이런 우라질 [ireon urajil – damn it]…!”

Lee Dae-soo, his eyes wide open, swallowed the curse he was about to utter and calmed down his anger by taking rough breaths.

“They’re not going to give us anything after receiving that, are they? 400 billion won isn’t pocket change for kids, is it?”

“He said it was the price for filling and covering the holes in the books within the group. We’ll have to invest about 200 billion won more to eliminate the accounting fraud.”

“흐으으 [heueueueu – Korean groan sound]…”

Lee Dae-soo made a 침음성 [chimeumseong – a low, guttural sound] and closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck.

Shinseong, Taehyun, and Geumgang, which had worse accounting fraud than Hae Dong, only paid taxes on this speculation. On the other hand, Hae Dong was forced to fill the books and even had taxes extorted, so he was about to go crazy.

Fortunately, Go Seung-joo presented Lee Dae-soo with a carrot he received from the Blue House. Go Seung-joo had to present that carrot, even if Lee Dae-soo wasn’t satisfied.

“He said that he would match the commercial bank interest rates for the entire group to the same as the top 5 groups. He also told me to convey the President’s words that he hoped we would catch up with the Japanese general trading companies.”

“육시럴 놈들 [yuksireol nomdeul – damn bastards]. Are you saying that now…!”

It was a sound that would make the owner of the Blue House and the ruling party members in Yeouido’s [political district in Seoul] ears itch, but Lee Dae-soo shouted in a sharp voice.

The president, who started with the words ‘I am fixing Japan’s 버르장머리 [beoreujangmeori – bad habits]’ at the meeting with Jiang Zemin last month, proudly boasted about the yen-high speculation and raised his approval rating.

Even so, he made us spend 600 billion won and even threw in 약 올리는 [yak ollineun – irritating/provoking] words about benefits that were worse than not giving them!

Lee Dae-soo, who had been narrowing his eyes with a lot of anger, opened his mouth.

“They don’t know about the slush fund, do they?”

“When I told the Blue House Chief Economic Secretary that it was too much, he said, ‘Isn’t what you blew away two years ago not enough?'”

If the Blue House aide said that, it is highly likely that they do not know that Hae Dong Group had taken out all the slush funds during the financial real-name system. Lee Dae-soo breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not let go of his suspicion.

“Still, make sure to add one more word when paying taxes. You know?”

Other groups might say that we are 궁상 [gungsang – pathetic/miserable], but Go Seung-joo answered calmly.

“Yes, Chairman. Shouldn’t we nail it down until we think the suspicion has disappeared?”

“If Chief Go suffers just one more time, it will be worth 600 billion won, Chairman.”

Even Bae Jae-hoon gave strength to Go Seung-joo, and Lee Dae-soo nodded.

“We’ve been doing business well thanks to the Blue House so far, so we have to spit out as much as we’ve earned. Let’s just say we’re improving our constitution and fill all the books of our affiliates. Purchase government bonds after that.”
The hidden cash is the best in this country, but the revealed size of Hae Dong Group is still small. We have to drive a wedge into the fact that the private loan funds have disappeared into thin air, but considering the benefits we have received so far, it was something we had to face once.

Nevertheless, Lee Dae-soo is also a person and a businessman. The resentment accumulated from this incident was revealed in the following words.

“If it’s unfair, we have no choice but to grow bigger.”

In order not to suffer any more humiliation, there was no room to settle down as he said. Everyone nodded with a firm expression as if they would not forget today’s humiliation.